


I'm the powder, you're the fuse

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:14:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23686729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: It's time to kick things up a notch.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 24





	I'm the powder, you're the fuse

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello! It's smut time! I'm pretty sure it's been six months since I last wrote smut, so be gentle with me :D It's part of the Ever Since I Met You series (can be read as a separate fic, all you need to know is that Ethan and Claire got married before she started working with him)  
> This work is NSFW, you have been warned.  
> Enjoy! <3

The tranquility of his office provided the much-needed silence that his head longed for after a day of work. It seemed as though the second he closed the door behind him, all the tension began to fade away. His phone was pressed to his ear, his mind focused on the sole reason he’s going through the day as swiftly as he is.

“It’s really hard to focus on anything really, when all that is on my mind is you.” he muttered under his breath, a delicate smile pulling on the corners of his lips. He was met with a bright laughter on the other end of the line, making his heart skip a beat.

“I would make fun of you, if it wasn’t for a fact that I feel exactly the same. Maybe that’s why my professor had to ask me a question twice today…” Claire trailed off, and if Ethan had to guess, he’d say she was smiling. He sat down in his office chair, leaning back as his eyes swiped over the books on the shelf.

“I’m that distracting to you, huh? Can’t say I mind that.”

“You’re saying that as though you didn’t have Naveen repeat the patient information three times because, and I quote “you had dreamy eyes, practically swooning”.” She shot back, laughter coloring her tone.

“How do you… Naveen. I knew that you two having each other’s phone numbers was a bad idea.” He muttered, running his hand over his face. The vision of her face flooded his mind, relaxing his muscles a bit, taking away from the frustration he felt. “Will I be seeing you today?”

‘Unfortunately, no. We just finished the last lecture and now we’re going to grab something to eat and then hit the bar.” Claire’s voice betrayed her anticipation to kick back and not worry about her academic duties for one night. There was an underlying sliver of regret that he wouldn’t be joining her, but he expressed time and time again that he didn’t really feel comfortable with her university friends and they both knew that she should have a space of her life that wasn’t completely occupied by him. Ethan was the very first man in her life that understood that need for space, and when he told her about it, she was so happy she could cry. She loved him and he loved her, the mutual trust and understanding were a big part of that.

“And here I was, hoping to occupy all your thoughts for the night.” He trailed off, smirking at the suggestion in his words. Her laughter cracked on the other end of the line, warming him on the inside.

“I’ll hold you to it the next time we see each other. Until then, have a good evening, Dr. Ramsey.”

“Be careful out there and have fun, Miss Herondale.” He bid her goodbye, looking back to his workload with dread in his eyes. It was going to be a very long afternoon, and an even longer evening, since he didn’t have anything specific to look forward to after work.

His phone rang shortly, signaling an incoming text. Upon unlocking the screen, he saw her face, smiling brightly, surrounded by her friends. He smiled wider, despite himself, then put his phone down to get back to his papers.

\------------

The sun has set hours ago, leaving the streets of Boston in complete darkness, save for the streetlamps that lit the way for his car. Jenner greeted him as soon as he stepped over the threshold of his apartment, barking at the sight of Claire missing from his side. He petted him for a while, then went to prepare dinner for himself.

It wasn’t anything unusual for him to be alone in the evenings. Most of the days of the week ended that way for him, for she was only staying with him for three days a week, despite them agreeing to four in a memorable game of Monopoly a few weeks back. As it almost always happened, life got in the way and they had to reduce that number by one. That gave them still plenty of time together, while not interfering with their schedules and duties.

That being said, every time she went out with her friends, he got that quiet voice in the back of his head to be on alert, just in case something went south. It was worse in the beginning, when they were still getting to know each other, and the feeling intensified when one of her friends got attacked after they went home one of those nights. They were both better now, both mostly over the paranoia that took over their lives for the first week after that incident, but the caution remained, for better or worse.

Throughout the evening, he got plenty of updates from her in a form of various photos, both taken by her and her friends. It wasn’t that Ethan didn’t like those people, they all knew him and got along with him splendidly, it’s just that he preferred to not get dragged to one bar after the other. Those years were far behind him, or, at least, that’s what he claimed was the case for him. Claire made fun of him for being old and teased him about them having too many years apart, grinning like a mad woman when he picked her up and kissed her senselessly, pouring all of him into the act.

It must have been well after ten in the evening when his book reading was interrupted by a gentle knock on his door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but there was a chance that his neighbor came to complain about Jenner barking, again, no matter how many times they talked about it. He stood up, still reading, and went to open his door.

“Can I help you-“ he started, pulling his gaze away from the passage of the novel he was reading and aiming it at the person in the hallway. To his surprise, Claire’s bright eyes stared right back at him, her teeth sunken into her lower lip gently, teasingly.

“You can help me by pulling that sweater off.” She mused, walking towards him confidently. She kicked the door shut with her heel, wrapping his tie around her hand and pulling on it, making him stumble towards her. The book fell to the ground with an empty thud, forgotten in the hurricane of endorphins that rushed through his bloodstream.

Her back hit the door, her hand resting on his shoulder made its way down his chest, slowly, teasingly, tracing the lines of his muscles beneath the material of the shirt. A pleasant shiver followed her every move, his eyes watching her with adoration, giving himself up to her, being completely at her mercy.

Eventually, her hand reached his pants, her nails scraping the top seam with a look of wonder in her eyes. She breathed out deeply, as though she didn’t have anything else to do, so she might as well be doing this.

Without a warning, she hooked her finger into the beltloop, pulling him against her even more, the force combined with the one already existing from her grip on his tie causing him to slam his body against hers in the most pleasurable way one could be colliding with someone.

He groaned slightly, slowly reading into the game she had planned for them. The confidence that she glowed with stunned him into oblivion, like waking up from a trance. His hands, previously at his sides, hanging there aimlessly, now reached as far down her legs as they could, dragging upwards with the slightest of touches, rising the light material of her dress up along with them. The moment he reached her hips, his grip tightened, the fabric still bunched up, exposing her stockings and the skin of her thighs to the cool air of his apartment.

“Don’t move.” She whispered, moving her hands to the lapels of his sweater to push it down his arms. He complied, helping her remove it, then resumed his hold on her. She grinned at his eagerness to go along with her actions, nudging his chin with her nose.

“I thought you were going out this evening.” he noted, pressing circles into her hipbones with his thumbs. Her hands travelled up to the knot of his tie, working it off in unhurried motions.

“It’s technically night. I thought about you being in here, bored and all _alone_ … I just couldn’t resist. But I suppose… “ she explained briefly, undoing the tie with precise movement. “… I could leave… “ the material fell loose, allowing her to grab both ends with her hands and wrap them around her wrists. With one strong move, their faces were aligned, noses touching, breaths quickening with excitement. “… If you want me to.”

“Don’t.” he panted, snaking his arms up and around her waist, pressing their bodies flush against one another. Her cheekbones went up as she smiled, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip absentmindedly. His voice was hoarse when his eyes fell to her lips, his pupils dilating. “I lose my mind when you do that. You don’t know what you’re doing to me, do you.”

Claire brushed her fingers up the lines of his neck, hooking her index fingers behind his ears to grab his face securely. She shook her head at his words, her green irises sparkling in the dim light. “Maybe I know _exactly_ what I’m doing to you.” Leaning forward, she let their lips brush together, just for a second, just enough for a spark to jump between them. Just enough to give him a taste of what was to come. “ _Maybe I like it.”_

The last bit of restraint flew out the window, the hot and intense want burning beneath his skin. Claire’s lips pressed against his once more, the touch fleeting, barely palpable. Then again, more pressure, still gentle, after which she leaned back to gauge his reaction. He was breathing shallowly, his eyes almost closed in anticipation.

Mercifully, generously, she pressed their lips together, but she didn’t move them yet. It was a game that she intended to win, and a bit of teasing wouldn’t kill them. He breathed in sharply at the contact, focusing on reading her actions. His hands caressed her back gently, reveling in the softness of her body beneath the material.

After what felt like an eternity and a half, she fell back against the door even further than before, pulling him along with her, finally kissing him like she meant to. A quiet moan rose in the back of her throat, in perfect symphony with his groan, mixing and falling around them.

Ethan’s hand traveled up her spine, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck and pulling their faces even closer together. Their lips clashed with bruising force, tongues brushing once, twice, tempting the other with slow and insecure movements. Intensity skyrocketed when her hand once again made its way down his chest and between their bodies, dipping two fingers beneath the ridge of his jeans and pulling him against her. He bit back a groan that threatened to ring in the quiet room, standing out like a scream in the dead of the night.

The way their bodies moved put all kinds of images into his mind, but it wasn’t in his nature to wander into the territory that wasn’t his to roam, so with an effort that boarded on being painful, he pulled away from her, his hold on her just as tight as moments before.

“Claire, do you-“

“I want you to take those clothes off.” She breathed out, reaching for the first button of his shirt. He followed her lead, still unsure where they were standing. “I think it’s time we stop being so formal.”

_I think it’s time you make love to me_ is what she meant to say, and he got the meaning perfectly well.

“Like we were ever formal to begin with.” He pointed out, working on the buckle of his belt while she finished her way down the middle of his chest. Maneuvering around his wrists, she undid the smaller buttons on his cuffs, then finally reached to touch his skin beneath the shirt.

Halting his efforts to take his jeans off, she pushed the fabric away from his arms, leaning forward to press her lips to the hollow of his throat. The skin was hot to touch, as though he had fever, and given the circumstance they were in, his temperature was perfectly normal.

“You’re making it impossible to focus.” His voice didn’t resemble his own, his throat tightening at the sensation of her lips following the line of his muscles to his collarbone. With much more effort than he anticipated, he finally got rid of his pants, standing before her in his underwear. She pushed him away slightly, leaning back against the door herself to give herself a good vantage point.

“I promise to be as distracting for you as I can.”

Claire’s eyes started their journey from his feet and moved upwards, focusing on the lines and dips in the outline of his muscles. His whole body felt like it was on fire. Everywhere she looked, everywhere her eyes lingered, left hot flash and goosebumps in its wake. Unsurprisingly, she barely brushed the general area of his hips, completely missing the point, instead moving upwards almost immediately, making a mental note to follow all the lines she’s seeing with her tongue sometime in the future.

At last, her gaze reached his face, and it focused on his lips for a suspicious amount of time. Teasingly, he opened them, just slightly, waiting for a reaction, but got none. When their eyes finally met, it was as though something clicked. Both were unable to move for a few lingering moments, and then they crashed against each other like a wave crashes onto the shore.

Hands everywhere, legs tangling in an awkward position, lips coming together and separating messily as they moved down the hall and into the bedroom. Right as they reached the bed, she turned them around and pushed him onto the mattress with a smirk. He looked up at her with adoration and wild desire, irises so dark they might as well have been black.

“You’re overdressed.” He panted, pressing his palms into the comforter to keep himself from reaching out for her. She flashed him a teasing smile, then slowly crouched, grabbing the hems of her dress. Dragging the fabric up her body, she observed closely how his eyes watched her every move, how they devoured every new piece of her that got uncovered.

Inch by inch, she revealed the black stockings, still trapped in her heels. Then her panties, navy blue lace, matching the color of her bra that got revealed mere seconds later. Her hair fell down her back when the dress was finally removed, the piece of fabric being thrown to the floor in the back of the room. She put her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side, awaiting his reaction.

At that clear invitation, he sat up on the edge of the bed and beckoned her to come closer to him. She complied, coming to a stop a few inches away from him, just barely within his grasp. Looking up at her, she noticed the spark of mischief, and then his hands were on her hips and she was being pulled way closer to him, after which, it was all peaceful again.

He traced the lines of the stockings mindlessly, dipping his finger beneath them once or twice. With just the tips of his fingers, he trailed a path up to her panties, following the intricate patterns of it, teasing her mercilessly. Everywhere he touched felt like coming alive, again and again. He ran a single finger over the line in the center, prompting her legs to spread just enough for him to tease her briefly before he retreated. She protested with a whimper, swaying just a bit.

“It sounds as though you want something.” He asked, straight and without any veils to cover his intention. She huffed, shaking her head to let her hair fall behind her shoulders.

“I want you to take my underwear off and stop playing around.”

“But I like teasing you so much.” he grinned, softly at first, and then even wider when he met her eyes and saw the frustration in them.

He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties, dragging them down her legs slowly, not making it any easier on her. The sound of her heavy breath, her tiny whimpers of anticipation were the music for his ears, the most personal and perfect melody, only for him to enjoy.

Once he reached her ankles, he helped her lose her shoes, pondering upon the idea of leaving the stockings on for a moment before deciding to take them off. He wanted to feel her, not the fabric that covered her body.

Ethan sat back up, waiting for a long moment, riling her up a bit more, and just when she was about to say something, he reached towards her with his fingers, prompting her thighs apart. With the soft touch, he ran his fingertips along the lines of the inside of her thighs, getting closer and closer to her center, but never quite reaching it. Right as the words of annoyance were about to fall off the tip of her tongue, he ran a finger through her folds.

Her whole body stiffened, the sensation being much more stimulating than she expected. It’s been a while since she was intimate with anyone, but she remembered what it was like. And all of those times had nothing on what she was feeling right now. He didn’t stop at that, instead continuing with his ministrations, tracing circles around her most sensitive parts, running up and down from time to time. Claire’s breathing was getting heavier by each second that passed with his touch on her, and just when she thought about taking a step back to undress him, he found her clit and pressed on the bundle of nerves gently.

A surprised yelp escaped her lips, causing her to double over and grab his shoulders for support. His face was pressed against her stomach, allowing her to feel the smirk that bloomed on his face. And he was just getting started.

Slowly at first, he ran small circles in that exact spot. Alternating with various pressures and movements, he listened to her moans and whimpers, learning her body as he went.

“Those moans of yours won’t leave my head for weeks.” He groaned under his breath, taking his touch away from her.

Any sign of protest was lost the moment he pressed a finger into her. She breathed out slowly, awaiting his next move, getting lost in the pace he set for her. Adding a second one made it impossible to keep silent anymore, the sound of pleasure ringing straight into his ear as she leaned down over his shoulder to try and catch any amount of air.

“Right there…” she breathed out softly, gathering enough strength to lean back into somewhat of a standing position. Ethan looked up into her eyes, then slowly, while maintaining eye contact with her, pressed his lips to her clit and grazed it with his tongue.

The new sensation tore a low groan out of her, her grip on his shoulders tightening. His fingers continuously moved in and out of her and combined with the feeling of his tongue grazing the sensitive nerve endings, provided the sensation that felt so impossibly good, she could cry. Her hips began gently moving along with his actions, seeking friction and stimulation that she yearned for.

His other arm wrapped around her lower back, holding her upwards as he worked her more and more intensely, and when his teeth grazed her, all the tension and pleasure that has been building reached its peak and she came with a silent scream, breathing heavily as waves crashed through her. She was grateful for him keeping her up, for she was certain she would have fallen if he hadn’t.

He slowed his actions bit by bit, helping her ride out the aftershocks of her orgasm, and then he retreated entirely, running his hands up and down her sides soothingly.

“ _Oh god._ ” She managed to mutter after who knows how long, finally able to stand up on her own. He was looking at her as though she was a miracle, and she was pretty sure there was a very prominent sense of pride on his features too. She leaned down, kissing him gingerly, tasting herself on his lips.

“You’re beautiful.” He told her, stroking her skin continuously. She laughed gently, massaging his shoulders.

He continued his journey up her body, tracing the lines of her bra, slipping the straps off her shoulders, one, then the other, before reaching behind her and undoing the clasp, letting the garment fall aimlessly to the floor.

With the touch so light that she could have sworn it was barely there, he traced the outline of her nipple, then ran his thumb over the sensitive flesh with equally gentle touch. While continuing his actions, he kissed up her stomach and settled his lips around her other nipple, kissing and sucking gently, running his tongue over it. A shuddered breath escaped her lips, her head falling back as her eyes closed.

He let her skin go, continuing his journey up, reaching her arms and then making his way down her arms until he reached her hands, lacing their fingers together. They stared at one another for a while before she spoke again.

“Okay, handsome, time to level the playing field. Up.” she nodded towards him, pulling him to his feet. He hesitated, shaking his head, indicating that she didn’t have to do anything, but she silenced him with one look, grinning teasingly. “If I don’t have you right here, right now, I will lose my mind. Come on, you’re overdressed, stop stalling.”

She dragged his boxers down his legs, then trailed her hands up against his skin. Her nails teased him out of nowhere, causing him to gasp in surprise, and then once more when she pushed him onto the bed again and straddled him.

“Now tell me, what were your plans for tonight?” she asked, pressing their bodies a bit closer together. His eyes flashed dangerously, but nevertheless, he tried to focus and remember what he was supposed to be doing while she was gone.

“I was going to go over the files again, drink some tea, finish the book that we so rudely threw onto the floo- oh…” he started listing all the plans he made, but in an instant, they became irrelevant. Looking straight into his eyes, she sank down onto him, watching with a smirk how his face expression morphed from a neutral to a tense one, and then laced with sparks of pleasure.

“All that work will have to wait, I’m afraid. I’m terribly sorry.” She ran her fingers through his hair, then moved her hips up and down, slowly at first, then with a bit more speed, keeping the tempo steady.

“I’m not.” He confessed, teasing the skin of her back with his fingers as he held her in his arms. The tension kept on building steadily, with each move or her hips against his, with every word of a hushed conversation that they had. “Did you plan this all along?”

“You mean did I plan to come here… and seduce you instead of… drinking my ass off in a bar with my friends?” she asked, rolling her hips in an opposite direction experimentally, a surprised moan cutting her words off momentarily, then again and again. His own brain was beginning to get too clouded to think straight and he had no idea how much longer he would be able to have a conversation with her. Claire’s lips brushed against his ear as she whispered. “ _Yes, I did.”_

“I’m not sure if I should be glad for the surprise or relieved that I’m on the receiving end of this heaven.” His sentence turned into a moaning confession when she squeezed him with her inner muscles, watching with satisfaction how he stumbled over his words, seeing the warning signs of his breaking point approaching.

Her movements became more desperate, her hand brushing against his lips to stop him from talking more, then grabbed his shoulders and began riding him, grinding against him, her head falling back, exposing her neck to his ministrations.

His hands grabbed her hips, helping her move up and down, his own hips snapping upwards, creating a different angle every time he entered her. Her whimpers were telling enough for him to know that she needed more, and knowing her body more than he did three hours ago, he moved his right hand between them, finding her clit and pressing his fingers up and down against it.

Immediately, he was awarded with a deep moan from her, her words breathed out into the night. “A little to the right- that’s it, oh god…”

The slowness and tenderness were a bit further away from them than they were moments before. Their movements turned desperate, both chasing release, both craving the relief that would crash against them in mere moments. He felt himself approaching the limit but willed himself to wait until he was sure she was satisfied.

Their lips met in sloppy kisses, the constant rocking of their bodies making it almost impossible to kiss properly. With a couple more strokes of his fingers, she clenched around him and came with his name on her lips, hanging onto him as though she was drowning. Her nails sunk into the skin of his back, the pain such a contrast to the pleasure he felt, triggering his own orgasm, his grip on her tightening slightly as he pressed his hips up against hers and kept her there, hiding his face in the juncture of her shoulder. Their cries mixed, ringing against the walls and falling into the dead silence when the aftershocks finally subsided.

She ran her fingers through his hair absentmindedly, catching her breath with her eyes closed. After a long moment, she got up from his lap and left him with a wink, disappearing behind the bathroom door to clean herself up.

Ethan fell back against the pillows on his bed, staring at the ceiling. When he was thinking about their first time together, he had something else in mind, but nothing he could ever come up with would match what they just did.

Claire walked back into the bedroom, wearing the shirt he wore that day, smiling cheekily at him when she jumped into his arms, resting her head on his chest. He embraced her, pressing his lips to her forehead, his fingers tracing abstract patterns on the skin of her shoulder, peaking from underneath the fabric of his shirt.

“So… how did this evening compare to what you wanted to be doing?” she asked slowly, a playful undertone in her voice, but he also could sense a sliver of insecurity. His grip on her tightened, pressing them closer as he covered them with a blanket.

“I couldn’t imagine a better evening if I tried.” He replied, looking down at her with an amused face. She gazed up at him, immediately bursting out laughing, nuzzling against his chest.

“I sure hope so. They had a discount for med school students tonight at the bar I like, but I didn’t go. If you said it wasn’t worth it…” she wondered out loud, coaxing a laugh out of him. She leaned up, their noses touching, eyes meeting. “… you would be in trouble.”


End file.
